Stealing the Winchesters' Spotlight
by IbbyIsHere
Summary: Alright, the Winchester boys and the angel Castiel are pretty cool. But it's always them, them, them. So why not throw another trio in the mix? Like, for instance: Ambriel, an angel cast out after Metatron initiated his spell; Irina, a woman who has more than meets the eye, and Elijah, a skinwalker-gone-good. These three will join together and figure out what the Hell is going on!
1. Chapter 1

Takes place between Seasons 8 & 9 of the well-beloved Supernatural show, starring Misha Collins, Jensen Ackles, and Jared Padelecki. A few characters are mine, but the entire franchise belongs to Eric Kripke, Bobby- er, Robert Singer, and all those other folks up in Canada.

Awesome.

* * *

Ambriel was falling. Fast.

He was not alone. Despite the high speeds with which he plummeted towards the earth, he could see his fellow angels, shining like fatal meteors towards the ground. His entire celestial body was burning in a way he had never experienced before, and in the back of his mind he swore he could smell the singe of his feathers.

The angel was confused, scared, and hurt. Confused because he didn't know how he went from being in heaven to...this. Scared because he was plummeting like a heavy stone, and didn't know if he would die. Especially with Father gone yet. And hurt because, well...having your entire body be barbecued wasn't exactly the most pleasant of feelings.

Ambriel finally managed to orient himself so that he could see where he was headed towards. It was a wooded area, remote from any human settlements, though he thought he'd seen a house. The only life forms he could sense were the woodland beasts. They would be of no help to him.

Mustering up his quickly draining strength, Ambriel tried to spread his wings out, perhaps slow his descent. It worked, but barely, and certainly not fast enough to prevent a very tragic death. He was going too fast, and his wings were too damaged. What he needed was a vessel.

* * *

Natasha trudged through the forest, tears streaming down her face as her hand gripped the 9mm handgun. Her life had been a living Hell these past few months, and she couldn't handle it anymore. Just five months earlier, she'd finally given in to Elliott's begging and worked up the nerve to stand up to her parents. The couple had then ran away together, intent on getting married and starting a life without the constant nagging from their parents.

 _"Baby, this is going to be so exciting!" Elliott shot a goofy grin at her before returning his eyes to the road. "No more overbearing parents, no more folks trying to tell us how to live our lives...we're free, baby! Free!"_

 _Natasha smiled, his infectious excitement pushing away her worries for the moment. Elliott's optimistic attitude was what'd attracted her in the first place. Of course, his nice looks helped a lot, too._

 _"You think so?" Her voice was still rather timid. The fight between herself and her parents was still fresh in her mind._

 _"Nat, I know so. Don't worry, baby." He gave her another grin, this time more heartwarming. "I'll always be around to protect you. I'll take care of you."_

Present-day Natasha snorted. Yeah, right. Two months later, Elliott had abandoned her at a gas station, claiming it was unhealthy for him to be tied down at such a young age. More like he didn't want to be tied down to _her_ when he could have that smoking hot bathroom hobo, with her skimpy clothes and overdyed blonde hair. At that point, Nat probably should have called her parents, but pride and fear prevented her. Nat's parents wouldn't have wasted any time with rubbing the mistake she made all over her face, and after this stunt her social life - Hell, life in general - would have been over, if she'd gone back.

 _"That Elliott is a deadbeat and a slum! He is no good for you, and he's just using you until something better comes along!" Her father's face was beetroot red, and it took all of Natasha's strength not to scurry upstairs to her room. She was 19 years old, for crying out loud! An adult!_

 _"Dad, he's not like that at all! Is it wrong for me to want to be treated like an adult, and be able to make my own decisions?!"_

 _"Yes!" Her parents said in unison. Natasha's eyes began to fill with tears of frustration, and her mother quickly jumped in. "What we mean, sweetheart, is that we just don't think you're ready to make big choices yet. You're too naive-"_

 _"Gee, I wonder why, Mom? It couldn't be because you and Dad decided I was too weak and pathetic to handle the world, could it? Guess what! I'm an adult, not a stupid little girl anymore!" Her parents tried to protest again, but Natasha cut them off. In the back of her mind she knew there was no going back, and that gave her the strength she needed to carry on. "No. I'm done. Elliott was right. You guys think you're protecting me, but the truth is you just want someone to be your slave so you can feel all high and mighty." Throwing her napkin down in disgust, she stood up and walked out of the dining room. Her bag, which she'd placed their after her parents had sat down, was still by the front door. As she reached down to grab it, though, she heard her father's voice from behind._

 _"Natasha Lynn Carrington, don't you dare walk out on us!"_

 _Feeling particularly bold, she gripped the doorknob and opened it. "Or what?"_

 _Her father took a deep breath. "If you walk out that door, don't you dare come back, you hear me?" Her mother cried out in protest, but he shushed her. "No, Martha, she has to learn that there are consequences for her actions. Considering the amount of betrayal and disrespect she's shown us, Natasha has made it clear she no longer believes in following the path of God - only the devil, and his cursed name."_

 _Natasha turned back, her eyes filled with disbelief and loathing. "Why would I ever want to come back to this hellhole?" With that, she slammed the door and began to call Elliott._

So, yeah, no refuge there. After Elliott had left, Nat floated from town to town, trying and failing to hold a steady job. Something inside her had begun to break, making it difficult to focus. But this latest job termination, followed by the subsequent eviction notice, was the straw that broke this camel's back.

Thus, why she was trudging through the woods all by herself. Not that anyone would miss her, anyway. She was a nobody, just a filthy nobody who wouldn't do anything worth-

 **Natasha.**

The woman stopped, bewildered. For a moment, she thought someone had-

 **Natasha, my name is Ambriel. I am an angel of the Lord, but I do not have much time.**

"Wh-what? Ambriel? What are you talking about?"

 **Someone has cast all of the angels out of heaven. I do not know why, but we are falling, fast. I can feel your pain, Natasha. I can see all of the self loathing and worthlessness you have.**

Natasha looked up at the stars, where she noticed one lone star, shining brighter than the rest. "You...You can?"

 **Yes, Natasha. I can also see your potential, and I see that you are a good human. But I also know what you are going to do with that weapon, and I ask you to drop it.**

For a moment, she loosened her grip, stunned, but then she tightened it again. "You said you were an angel? How do I know that? How do I know you aren't just some crazy voice in my head?"

 **You will have to trust me. Natasha, I need you. I am falling to the earth, and I am about to die. I need your help to avoid death.**

Well, why not. Listening to a crazy voice claiming to be aan angel was probably better than taking her own life, anyway. Wiping at her nose, she asked, "What do you need me to do?"

 **I need you to let me into your body. It is the only way. Do you trust me?**

"Yes, yeah, um, I trust you, crazy angel voice. Come on in." She let out a low, nervous laugh, cutting it short before she became hysterical. As far as she knew, demons never asked permission to possess people. Right?

Assuming they were real, of course.

 **I am real, I assure you. As are demons, unfortunately.**

"RIght, yeah, of course." Another nervous laugh. "Um, will it hurt?"

 **I...am unsure. This is my first time.**

"Oh! Of course!" Nat muttered. "Well, here goes. What are you waiting for?"

 **This.**

All of the sudden, that bright light became much bigger, much faster. A brilliant glow appeared around Natasha, and beams shot out of her eyes and mouth. As her body was filled with the holy presence, she was acutely aware of being thrown back. A blast of energy, like that of a miniature nuclear bomb, exploded away from her in a perfect circle. Before everything went black, though, Natasha heard her voice - both familiar, and different - say, "I am...uncomfortable."


	2. Chapter 2

Takes place between Seasons 8 & 9 of the well-beloved Supernatural show, starring Misha Collins, Jensen Ackles, and Jared Padelecki. A few characters are mine, but the entire franchise belongs to Eric Kripke, Bobby- er, Robert Singer, and all those other folks up in Canada.

Awesome.

* * *

I ran out of my house, a shotgun in one hand and a demon dagger in the other. My gun, of course, was loaded with rock salt; attached to my hip was a Colt loaded with silver and lead mixed bullets, the recipe which had been handed down my friend's family for generations. The Colt was not _the_ Colt, though it was certainly made in the same era - approximately 1861, if memory served.

Beside me ran a large white Malamute, Elijah. Technically, he wasn't a real Malamute, but now wasn't the time to get into specifics.

Moments ago, Elijah had awoken me to view an unusual meteor shower. It had puzzled us, since no showers had been scheduled for tonight...until we'd witnessed one landing in our forest, followed by a huge flash of light and the sound of an explosion. So, being in the business we were in, the two of us were obliged to investigate.

Several minutes later, Elijah and I drew close to what looked like the point of impact. Ground zero, if you please. "Alright, Eli, eyes sharp. We don't know what happened, and this doesn't look like it's in our scope of experience." The massive dog let out what I like to call his "are you kidding me I'm not dumb" groan. I scowled. "I know, I know. But it was meant more for me than for you."

He let out a soft snort. "Just saying. But I'm serious, be careful." We made our way closer, and I sling the shotgun over my back before withdrawing the Colt. My gut instinct told me this was no ghost we were dealing with, nor some low-class demon. No, with the way these trees were, whatever thing that was here had to be high class, and salt would do nothing more than piss it off.

"Eli!" I hissed. "There's a person down there!" He let out a whine, and I squinted my eyes until they were almost completely shut, though I'd barely done that before I had to shut them completely. He whined again, and I shook my head in confusion. "No idea. They're...They're so... _bright._ It's ridiculous." I had no idea who this person was, but they certainly weren't demonic.

Tucking my Kurdish knife into my belt, I hurried down to the body as it - she - let out a moan. "Hold on, we're here to help!" I knelt down next to the woman and did a once-over. She was young, at least six years my junior, with light, pretty hair and fairly smooth looking skin. Her face, from what I could tell, was rather average, as was her body. Then again, having blood all over one's face rarely made a person attractive. I mean, unless that's your thing.

She moaned again, and I looked up at Elijah. "Got anything?" The dog simply shook his head, just as confused as I was. I then returned my attention to the young woman. "Ma'am, you're badly hurt. I'm going to have to move you, okay? What's your name?"

" **My name...is Ambriel."**

"Ambriel?" Odd name. "Okay, sweetheart, I'm going to take you to my house. I'll be able to better stitch you up there. Ambriel, do you understand?"

Her hand latched onto my forearm with a clawlike grip. **"I...am an...angel. Someone...cast us out..."** It was clear that speech was difficult for her, and she struggled to stay conscious. **"My...brothers...and sisters..."**

"We'll worry about that later, Ambriel. Right now, you're the focus of my attention." It took all of my willpower not to question this mysterious woman about the angels, and what happened. There would be time enough for that. She seemed like she wanted to say more, but instead she only passed out.

Reholstering my handgun, I scooped the woman up and carefully laid her on Elijah's back. "Boy, am I glad you're a big dog," I muttered. "Alright, let's get her back to the house, and get her taken care of." The Malamute dipped his head and began to walk as carefully as he could. I, meanwhile, picked up both cuffs of the woman's jeans with one hand and placed a steadying hand on her back. It would do no good to have her fall off.


	3. Chapter 3

Takes place between Seasons 8 & 9 of the well-beloved Supernatural show, starring Misha Collins, Jensen Ackles, and Jared Padelecki. A few characters are mine, but the entire franchise belongs to Eric Kripke, Bobby- er, Robert Singer, and all those other folks up in Canada.

Awesome.

* * *

Ambriel awoke with a start, dazed, confused, and...comfy? The angel blinked, concerned. Shifting about, Ambriel discovered himself lying on a couch, wrapped up in quilts and a fireplace going beside him. So that accounted for warmth and snugness he was experiencing. However, the location was quite unfamiliar.

The room had a naturalistic feel to it. The floors were all hardwood, and the coffee and side tables had been made out of the gnarled roots and stumps of trees. Greens, browns, and creamy whites made up the remaining furniture, though it was tastefully done. Pictures of nature scenes and of flowers adorned the wall, and along the shelf above the fireplace were photos.

Pushing off the blankets, Ambriel stood up. A wave of dizziness overcame him, however, and he almost had to sit back down. It soon subdued itself, however, and he walked over to the shelf. The photos were of a human woman, mostly. In some pictures, she was with a human male; in others, it was a large white dog. She was constant, but the other two were never in the same photo together. _**How strange.**_

"Oh, good, you're awake."

The angel whirled around to find the aforementioned woman leaning against the doorway. She wore a slightly amused look. "We were beginning to worry about you, sweetheart. Elijah was about ready to call some healer friends of ours."

Ambriel frowned. **"Sweetheart? My name is Ambriel. Where am I?"**

The woman let out a soft snort. "It's a term of endearment, Hon. You're currently in the middle of nowhere, Oregan. This here..." She began to walk forward, gesturing to the spacious room around them. "Is my home. I'm Irina Spagovych." Stopping a few feet away, she eyed the angel with curiosity, and concern. "How are you feeling?"

 **"Human,"** he grunted, obviously displeased. Eyes narrowed, Ambriel studied Irina. She wasn't very tall - he guessed about 5'4", 5'5". Her hair was a dark auburn colour that was cut chin-length, with soft curls framing her round face. It was the eyes, however, that were most unusual. They were a brilliant violet colour, speckled through with tiny flecks of gold. The woman must have noticed his intent study, as she suddenly smiled.

"It's the eyes, innit? Docs said I had some sort of gene mutation, caused my eyes to be like this." Her smile turned into a wry grin. "Of course, it's not the only gene mutated, but enough about me." Some of Irina's good humour left. "What do you mean by 'human'? I know you're not one, your aura gave that away. But I've never encountered anybody who'd been able to level trees like that."

 **"I am Ambriel, angel of the Lord and a guardian of Heaven. This is my vessel, Natasha."**

"I remember you saying that, when we found you." It was Irina's turn to shake her head, this time in disbelief. "I can't believe it. We've got a real, live angel under our roof." She let out a soft laugh. "And here I was, thinking the Winchesters were having all the fun."

 **"The Winchesters?"** Ambriel's head snapped to attention, and his eyes narrowed. **"You know the Winchesters?"**

Irina gave him an odd look. "Know them? No. Know of them? Hell yeah. Those boys are infamous amongst us hunters, but more like in the way of Justin Bieber or Paris Hilton. You either love 'em or hate 'em."

 **"And you? What are your feelings about them?"**

She grinned again. "Ah, they're alright. My feelings change daily, considering they're both either starting apocalypses or stopping them. What about you?"

 **"They ruined everything in Heaven and Hell. I would not be surprised if they were behind the angels' fall."** He sighed. **"Can you take me to them?"**

"Yep. Once you regain your strength."

Ambriel scowled. **"I am plenty strong. We mustn't tarry."** To prove it, he began to move forward. Too quickly, it seemed, as after a few steps he began to collapse.

Irina moved forward to catch him, helping him sit back down on the couch. "That's a lie, and you know it. Not only is your spirit weak, but so's your vessel. You've been out for two days straight, and you haven't eaten."

 **"Angels don't need food."**

"People do, though. What about your vessel, Natasha?"

 **"So long as I possess her, she will be fine."** Ambriel noticed Irina lean back some at his words, and he asked, **"Did I say something wrong?"**

"No, no, uh..." Irina tried to mask her grimace with another smile. "I just, um, don't really like the word 'possessed'. I've had too many bad dealings with it." She stood up and attempted to tuck the angel in, who resisted. "Look, angel or no angel, you're not going anywhere until I decide that you're strong enough. Last thing I need is for someone to die on me, okay? I've dealt with enough death already."

 **"And possession, apparently."** Ambriel studied her again, fascinated with this specimen. His dealings with humans were not exactly plentiful. Before Dean Winchester had broken the first seal, Ambriel had been a part of Castiel's garrison, in charge of watching the Earth. Then, when Cass had gone rogue and the 66 seals were all broken, he'd requested to be transferred to guard duty in Heaven; he hadn't wanted to fight his Captain, but he hadn't wanted to rebel against Heaven, either. After that, when Castiel was brought back and began to fight Raphael, Ambriel happily joined. Fighting against Raphael - who was a prick, in Ambriel's humble opinion - was much more favourable to fighting against the entire Host.

But through all of it, Ambriel had only taken one vessel: a young man from British Columbia named Aaron. It was during the war against Raphael's people, and as soon as Castiel had won Aaron was released.

 **"Fine, human. I will rest, as you wish."**

Irina smiled at him again, then finish tucking the blankets in around his body. "Good. I'm going to make some chicken noodle soup, too. You may not need it, but I don't want your vessel to be operating on an empty stomach." She patted Ambriel's knee, and left for what he assumed was the kitchen.

The angel waited for a moment, counting to 100. Then, tossing the blankets off, he stood up. **"Rest is over,"** He said to himself, before looking down at his body. Someone had changed him into a pair of loose pajamas. They, too, were rather comfortable, but they certainly weren't battle-ready. **"I need new clothes."**


	4. Chapter 4

Takes place between Seasons 8 & 9 of the well-beloved Supernatural show, starring Misha Collins, Jensen Ackles, and Jared Padelecki. A few characters are mine, but the entire franchise belongs to Eric Kripke, Bobby- er, Robert Singer, and all those other folks up in Canada.

Awesome.

* * *

No sooner had I gotten a can of soup out that the sound of rustling wings reached my ears. Dropping what I was doing, I ran back into my living room only to find...nothing. The woman, Ambriel/Natasha, was gone. "Dammit!" I exclaimed, pinching the bridge of my nose. Angel or no, Ambriel was already an expert in selective hearing.

I sighed. Well, complaining about it wasn't going to get me anywhere. I turned around, intent on at least heating up the soup when the back door opened. "Elijah! Have you seen Ambriel?"

He looked up at me, arms full of groceries. "Hello to you too. No, I haven't seen Bambi. Why, did you lose our angel friend?" Taking a bag from him, I slapped him on the arm.

"Bambi? _Really?_ This isn't funny, Eli." I snorted in irritation and carried my bag into the kitchen, setting it down on the island. The paper rustled as I pulled out the food items. "We don't know how much damage she's taken already, if she really fell from Heaven."

"I thought there were no injuries on her?" He began to unpack his own bag, carefully setting the clothes on the counter. "These are the right size, yeah?"

"No physical injuries. That's not to say something else isn't right. Or what the inside of her vessel was like. Besides, her aura was...off."

"Off? And that's not the angel's real body?"

"Not bad off. Like...It was weak. A battery that needed to be charge, if you will. And no, that's a vessel. Ambriel said her name was...Natasha." I walked over to the clothes and began to check the sizes on them. "Yeah, these all match the tags on her clothes."

Elijah paused for a moment. "Did she...possess the body? Like demons do?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure...but it didn't seem like the host spirit was held against her will or anything. I think, y'know, it was a voluntary thing. I'll ask about it when she comes back." Under my breath, I added, " _If_ she comes back."

He just sighed. "How do we know it's even a real angel? What if this is a new creature created by...Eve?"

"Oh, sweetie." I wrapped my arms around him, laying my head on his chest for a moment. "I don't think Eve is going to come back. She's been killed, remember? You don't have to worry about her any more." He was still silent, and I pursed my lips in worry. Elijah, along with almost all of my clients, had been scarred during Eve's war with Crowley. While many were being rehabilitated via therapy, very few were capable of getting completely over what'd happened. "Trust me. This isn't Eve."

"I guess you're right." He pulled away from me, and picked up the chicken soup and pot. "Hungry, huh?"

"I was going to make that for Ambriel. She claims angels don't need to eat, but I figured her vessel would at least appreciate having a decent meal."

Handing the items back to me, Eli began to put the groceries away. I, meanwhile, once again resumed my cooking. "Well, have you tried to pray to her? If she's an angel, she should be able to hear you, right?"

"I suppose. Hand me that spoon, will you?" Poking a hole into the can, I poured its contents into the pot and turned up the heat. "You mind testing it out, while I fix this up?"

"Umm..." I looked back to find Eli in the midst of hesitation.

"What?"

"I think it'd be a better idea if you did it. I don't think she'll come for a monster like me."

A scowl affixed itself to my face. "For heaven's sake, Eli. You aren't a monster; you're just a skinwalker."

" _Just_ a skinwalker?"

"Yes! Look, do you go out and murder innocents? Do you deliberately harass others for pure amusement? Do you, oh I don't know, unleash the Apocalypse and allow Satan to break free from Hell?"

"Well, no...but, Irina, not everyone holds your same ideas. You've hung around hunters; Hell, you used to _be_ a hunter."

"I still am, thank you."

"But not like _that._ You're willing to believe that nonhumans aren't all monsters. Others, especially angels, I'm betting, aren't as keen to see it like that. Besides, you've already talked to her. Last time she saw me, I was a dog."

I chewed on my lower lip. Eli had a point. Considering Ambriel knew me more than she knew him, she'd probably be more likely to listen to me. And not smite me. "Fine. You watch the soup."

"Whoa, wait, you're doing it _now?"_ The skinwalker moved over to grab the spoon from me, nonetheless.

"Yes I'm doing it now. Ambriel is still weak, whether she believes it or not. I don't want her to die." Eli gave me a funny look, and I paused. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Uh huh."

"It's just...it's times like this when it's easy to see why you decided to do what you do, that's all."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, Romeo. I'll be back."

"Back?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna stand outside. Maybe she'll be able to hear me better."

"Hah, sure. Good luck."

"Thanks." I stopped at the back door, then threw over my shoulder, "Don't burn the soup!" He just laughed, and I stepped thorough the door.

Once outside, I went over Eli's suggestion again. All I had to do was pray to Ambriel, and cross my fingers that she heard me. Wouldn't be too hard, right? After all, I talked to angels every day!

Not.

Letting out a deep sigh, I ran some words through my mind, and began to talk. "Uh, hey, Ambriel. Look, I know it's probably demeaning for you to take orders from humans, but I seriously don't think you're strong enough to take on the world yet. Like I said, I don't want you to die on me, but I also want you to know that you're not on house arrest anything. Consider it more like... a vacation. Ish." I cleared my throat. "Look, can you please just come back here, maybe let us talk through a plan before running off? Again?"

The rustling of wings drew my attention. Looking up, I saw Ambriel standing there, clutching a bag of clothes and still dressed in my pajamas. "Ambriel?"

 **"I...think you were right."** Blood dripped from her mouth, and the angel began to collapse.

I sprinted forward, grabbing the young woman before her head could hit the ground. "Ambriel!" I exclaimed. At the top of my lungs, I added, "Elijah! Get out here!" He came leaping out, stopping to kneel beside the angel.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. She appeared, like you guessed she would, but then she passed out."

He frowned, then carefully gathered her in his arms. "Come on. We need to put her back on the couch." I nodded, grabbing her bag before following Eli back inside.


End file.
